> At a Glance
> – A 535-pound bluefin tuna fetched $3.2 million at Tokyo’s first 2026 auction
> – Kiyoshi Kimura of Sushi Zanmai placed the winning bid
> – Price shattered the old record of $2.1 million set in 2019
> – Why it matters: The eye-popping sale spotlights Japan’s celebratory seafood culture and ongoing appetite for top-grade tuna
Japan’s famed New Year tuna ritual just produced another jaw-dropping moment: a single bluefin sold for more money than most Tokyo apartments.
The Record-Breaking Fish
Weighing 243 kg (535 lb), the prized tuna was landed off Oma, a port celebrated for yielding the nation’s finest. Early Monday at Toyosu market, bidding raced past the previous high of ¥334 million before Kimura’s Kiyomura Corp. sealed the deal at ¥510 million.
- Price per kilogram: ¥2.1 million ($13,360)
- Price per pound: roughly $6,060
- Auction held in pre-dawn darkness, per tradition
What the Winning Buyer Said
Kiyoshi Kimura, who has captured the top tuna multiple times, laughed as he admitted:
> “I was hoping to pay a bit less, but the price shot up before you knew it.”
He called the purchase “in part for good luck,” adding:
> “When I see a good-looking tuna, I cannot resist … it’s got to be delicious.”
Daily Market in Focus
Hundreds of tuna change hands each morning at Toyosu, but New Year prices soar as restaurateurs vie for symbolic bragging rights. Conservation measures have helped once-threatened Pacific bluefin stocks rebound, though celebratory auction prices remain far above everyday rates.
Key Takeaways
- Tokyo’s first 2026 tuna auction re-wrote the record books at $3.2 million.
- Winning bidder Kiyoshi Kimura plans to serve the fish through his Sushi Zanmai chain.
- The sale underscores both cultural tradition and premium seafood demand in Japan.
Expect hungry sushi fans to line up for a taste of the million-dollar tuna when Sushi Zanmai starts carving later this week.
